government

The National School Boards Association represents state boards of education across the country, and their 90 thousand members. The Association’s new president is a school board member from Connecticut.

In business, time is money, and time was at a premium yesterday at a special event in West Hartford. Small businesses from around Connecticut gathered to meet with government agencies and big government contractors for a chance to win new work. But as WNPR’s Harriet Jones reports, they had to be quick.

Hone your elevator pitch and get ready to make a great first impression, because you only have minutes face-to-face with the government contractor of your dreams.

The man who once worked in Hartford schools construction and now works as an undercover operative for the FBI took the stand in a Louisiana public corruption probe yesterday. As WNPR's Jeff Cohen reports from New Orleans, the news that the man was working for the government has taken some Hartford people by surprise.

A man who once worked for the company that oversaw Hartford's multi-million dollar schools construction project says that former Mayor Eddie Perez and others tried to hit him up for jobs and no-bid contracts.

That man, William Myles, worked for Diggs Construction. But since 2005, he's had another job – as an undercover operative for the FBI.

As WNPR's Jeff Cohen reports, Myles is now at the center of an FBI sting of several public officials in southwestern Louisiana.

Two types of small businesses in Connecticut have been pitted against one another in recent months by a controversial piece of legislation. The measure, which goes into effect July 1st, attempts to force Internet retailers to levy sales tax in the state for the first time.

As WNPR’s Harriet Jones reports, some are calling it the “Amazon tax.”

The question asked by an exasperated state legislator at an informational hearing last week was the one posed frequently, if not publicly, at the state Capitol about Connecticut's always-in-a-hurry governor: "Why can't this wait?" The query, by Rep. Roberta Willis, D-Salisbury, concerned Gov. Dannel P. Malloy's fast-track plan to remake the UConn Health Center, but it could have applied to any major initiative, beginning with the budget.

With strong support from Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, the Senate voted 18 to 17 Wednesday to pass the nation's first state mandate on private employers to offer paid sick days. It now goes to the House, where passage is expected. The bill, which passed with only one Republican vote, has a limited reach, applying to dozens of specific types of service workers at companies with more than 50 employees. Sponsors say it will affect 300,000 workers.

Governor Malloy has declared the state of Connecticut open for business. But many small businesses find when they come in contact with state government, their first experience is frustration. WNPR’s Harriet Jones looks at just how well the state is doing in streamlining its approach to business.

There’s a midnight deadline. If a deal between lawmakers and the White House can’t be struck, the federal government shuts down.

And the next question is…does it matter? We’re being assured that even in shut-down mode, our mail still gets delivered, entitlement benefits will still be paid, the military will keep fighting on three fronts.

But other services you count on from the government are still kind of up in the air. That expedited passport for the surprise Caribbean cruise? The big tax refund you were planning on to pay for said cruise?

WASHINGTON--In 2009, Bolton and Vernon were moving full speed ahead on a vital $25 million sewer project to replace inadequate septic systems serving the area's residents. But as construction was about to start, local officials got bad news from Washington: $2 million in federal aid was suddenly being yanked.